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To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

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To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 09:23:02:

I think I've discovered why I went so hypo. Armour Thyroid has apparently been made to a slightly new formula and by a different company (that's a rumour still though) since last Autumn and I started on one of the new batches in January.

It was in February that I started waking with palpitations in the night and unable to get back to sleep and when my neck and lower back got really stiff and painful again and the dizziness started up again. I felt these symptoms didn't tie in so easily with having stopped hydrocortisone a year ago so read through a lot of thyroid forums on Sunday (I don't usually read them as I don't want to dwell on thyroid problems!) and some others are having a return of hypo symptoms on the new Armour, while others are fine on it.

It's too much of a co-incidence to me so I phoned my specialist again and he's changing my prescription to Naturethroid. His receptionist said I was the third patient to contact them with a return of symptoms.

Just thought I'd let you know and thank you for pointing out I'd gone hypo again!

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by AT [11797.4426] on June 02, 2009 at 15:46:41:

In Reply to: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 09:23:02:

I'm FLOORED! Thank you, Helene. I'm going to contact
Forest Pharmaceuticals if I can. This does make sense, though because I've been on the 15's twice a day and then after suffering symptoms had to double to 60 mg. It was a little over a year ago.
I cannot believe they wouldn't send a recall of sorts or at least put a notice on the PDR. I smell a lawsuit in fact. Hope you are feeling better!

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 16:22:10:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by AT [11797.4426] on June 02, 2009 at 15:46:41:

Unfortunately it was a deliberate re-formulation in the Autumn but I can't find out why. Either they thought they were being clever and making a better product, or they were told to alter it which would be worrying!

I feel better for knowing why I feel so awful and just hope I get some of the alternative soon. So far the prescription hasn't arrived from my specialist, once I get it the pharmacist has to order the Naturethroid so it will be a week. I have some Cytomel which I'm very tempted to take in a tiny dose to see if that helps ;)

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Trish [296.2857] on June 02, 2009 at 16:31:28:

In Reply to: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 09:23:02:

For a brief period after my Graves disease symptoms had abated (thank you 3LS), my endo thought it would be a good idea to put me on Armour, because he felt that the Graves had enlarged my thyoid and that this would help. I took the Armour for about 2 weeks, and every day, I felt like I was being poisoned. I don't mean to sound dramatic, but it made me feel sick. To this day, I don't know if it was this new formula you're speaking about, or that I shouldn't have been on it to begin with. I think the latter is true.

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 16:43:00:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Trish [296.2857] on June 02, 2009 at 16:31:28:

It is all so individual and confusing. I was first given thyroxine and felt a bit better but then my muscles almost seized up if I sat for more than a few minutes, so I was given Cytomel (T3) which was much better. But then I read everyone saying Armour was so wonderful and asked to switch to it. I didn't stabilise though until I added in hydrocortisone to help my adrenals at which stage I felt almost normal again.

I know what you mean about feeling poisoned, I was once given an estrogen patch and within 20 minutes I was in a fog, couldn't function just wanted to get it all out of my system as quickly as possible, removed the patch and drank water for a day until I felt normal again. I decided I obviously didn't need it and haven't tried any since.

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Ron [3468.7650] on June 02, 2009 at 18:00:17:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 16:22:10:

Hi Helena,

Here is an article about the delicate balancing act
called the thyroid.
print it and take it to your doc.. The last paragraph
is especially important


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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [2363.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 19:36:33:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Ron [3468.7650] on June 02, 2009 at 18:00:17:

Thanks Ron, I'm one of the odd ones - my TSH was bottom of range for years with low T4 and T3 so no-one would treat me. Once I found my current specialist, who treats on signs and symptoms alone, I was taking 150mcg T4 and 40 mcg T3 with a zero TSH before I switched to Armour, enough to harm a horse apparently - but then I'm not a horse ;)

What is so annoying is that I didn't recognise the signs when they began this time. I spent a few weeks wondering which direction was the highest bridge and it was absolutely awful, the first time I've ever felt like that. The palpitations and anxiety are going now that I've stopped taking the new Armour and last night I actually slept for 10 hours - makes a change from the 1 - 3 hours of the previous weeks :((

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Mike-S [2018.7659] on June 02, 2009 at 23:05:26:

In Reply to: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 09:23:02:

I know almost nothing about this but I found this info via wikipedia:


http://www.frx.com/pi/armourthyroid_pi.pdf


pdf was revised 08/08; copyright 2006


Mike-S


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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Mike-S [2018.7659] on June 02, 2009 at 23:20:59:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Mike-S [2018.7659] on June 02, 2009 at 23:05:26:

To contact Forest Labs and voice an opinion about the Armour formulation change:


Pam Harry, Q.A.
Forest Pharmaceuticals
800/678-1605 x7023


For more info if desired see message # 13271 in Yahoo Group RT3_T3. Mike-S

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Ron [3468.7650] on June 03, 2009 at 03:20:40:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [2363.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 19:36:33:

Hi Helena,

Glad you are feeling better...
Does the regimen that is described
in the article come close to the
balancing act that you have been doing with
thyroid meds T3, T4, etc?



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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Ron [3468.7650] on June 03, 2009 at 03:23:58:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 16:22:10:

Hi Helena,

"Unfortunately it was a deliberate re-formulation in the Autumn but I can't find out why. Either they thought they were being clever and making a better product, or they were told to alter it which would be worrying!"
==================================

Maybe they switched the manufacturing to a factory
in Asia?

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by sonia [5538.1399] on June 03, 2009 at 05:56:35:

In Reply to: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 09:23:02:

Helena, arent palpitations and anxiety symptoms of hyper not hypo?

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid--SAYING. Archive.

Posted by Walt Stoll [93.7645] on June 03, 2009 at 08:04:54:

In Reply to: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 09:23:02:

Thanks, Helena.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" An ancient saying rears it's head once more.

Walt

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Trish [296.2857] on June 03, 2009 at 09:27:51:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [8133.1544] on June 02, 2009 at 16:43:00:

Don't start me on thyroxine. Once again, my endo talked me into trying that, since I was one of the "one in a million" people that can't tolerate Armour (he's so obsessed with shrinking my thyroid). I gave it the old college try for 2 weeks. For that whole time, I felt like someone was jabbing a ruler into my liver. Never again. There's an interesting website called "stop the thyroid madness" (google it) about this whole subject. Lots of people are suffering out there, being given the wrong medication.

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 10:08:53:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Mike-S [2018.7659] on June 02, 2009 at 23:20:59:

Thanks so much Mike - I've just tried several times but the number is always engaged so have now contacted their UK subsidiary who've taken the details and are sending an email to Forest which I'll be copied in on. I'll try to phone again later as it's probably the start of the working day there. Perhaps if enough complain they'll listen!


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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 10:12:09:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by sonia [5538.1399] on June 03, 2009 at 05:56:35:

No the symptoms can often overlap. Before I was diagnosed and treated I'd get the same symptoms, I'd just forgotten what they were like. It could even be an adrenal reaction to low thyroid hormones. There are other things at the moment too though - no energy, cold (despite the recent high temps), brain not working as it should etc :((

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 10:15:53:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Ron [3468.7650] on June 03, 2009 at 03:23:58:

I read it was another factory in the US but can't remember where I read that. Why don't peeple just leave things alone! Problem for us in UK is that the NHS makes it very difficult for us to get these thyroid preparations - I have to pay privately - so each time there's any sort of adverse publicity it's one more reason for the endocrinologists to ban it.

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 10:23:44:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Ron [3468.7650] on June 03, 2009 at 03:20:40:

It did to start with when I took synthetic T4 then had to lower it a bit to add in synthetic T3 and keep adjusting. When I started Armour the proportions in each grain were 39mcg T4 and 9 mcg T3 and every now and then I added in extra T3 as I seem to need that more to feel better, however my blood test results were unusable because of my already low FT3. My specialist thought I had T3 resistance. I've tried to keep away from thyroid forums but thanks to this episode I'm joining a few to see if there's a better way of doing it in future. I hate the thought of being dependent on just one product which can be changed in this way.

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by sonia [5538.1399] on June 03, 2009 at 11:28:33:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 10:15:53:

Helena,

My sister in law (also in the UK) gets it on the internet because her consultant refused to prescribe it. I believe he said her levels were "within range".

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 11:35:32:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by sonia [5538.1399] on June 03, 2009 at 11:28:33:

Yes that's how I usually get it Sonia because my blood tests were within range. My private specialist will prescribe it but it's cheaper to order it direct from the US than to pay for the same preparation via a UK pharmacy! I'm trying to get some Naturethroid quickly at the moment but it will take a couple of weeks to arrive via the Internet and the prescription my specialist offered on Monday to send to a London pharmacy still hasn't arrived :(( What will happen when we're banned from ordering these things over the Internet?

Do you happen to know if your sister in law is still doing ok on Armour or has the new formulation affected her? Some people haven't noticed a difference it seems.

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Marnie [6.3379] on June 03, 2009 at 15:49:47:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 10:23:44:

I take armour and have noticed no changes whatsoever in how I feel or how my labs look. I get tested every 3-4 months. I love armour thyroid. I'm not doubting the experiences of others I just want to provide a counterpoint to avoid an unnecessary armour panic. I wouldn't live without it.

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by sonia [6424.7669] on June 03, 2009 at 17:39:01:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 11:35:32:

I asked her the other day how she was getting on still with the Armour and she said OK. At that time I didn't know about the change you mentioned and she didn't mention it.

All I know is when she first went on Armour she wasn't really impressed and said she felt no different. But that was a couple of years ago. What happened her doc and a consultant told her she wasn't hypo but she wouldn't have it and she eventually went private and the private consultant found she had antibodies. So from that they deduced she was hypo. Anyway, from what I gather they wouldn't prescribe Armour, they wanted to prescribe thyroxine and she tried it for a while but it made her heart race like mad. She now buys Armour on the internet after speaking to that woman - sorry cant remember her name - the thyroid woman - yes Mary Shoman. Apparently she (Mary) went through hell and my SIL actually had email contact with her personally.

I suspect I am also hypo slightly but the blood tests are always "within range" so I just gave up frankly.

All the best to you.

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 18:08:05:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Marnie [6.3379] on June 03, 2009 at 15:49:47:

Thank you for telling me this. It's good to know, especially as a friend today suggested I shouldn't have read the thyroid forums and perhaps I had genuinely gone hypo and should just try increasing a bit and seeing what happens. Certainly Armour helped me tremendously for several years. It's always difficult to judge how many people are affected with this sort of thing because it's impossible to know how many are fine and not posting the fact anywhere. I found one poster on Alt.support today who gave his batch numbers and the ones he said were not effective were all 3 grains, his jars of 1.5 grains he said were fine and they were the same batch number as mine, which confuses me even more!

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Wrong...

Posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 18:09:17:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Helena [9026.1544] on June 03, 2009 at 10:23:44:

When I said 'my already low FT3' I meant 'my already low TSH'!

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Ron [5412.7650] on June 04, 2009 at 01:34:18:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Trish [296.2857] on June 03, 2009 at 09:27:51:

Hi Trish,

A thyroid tends to enlarge when it tries to produce
the needed hormones and can not do an adequate job.

A possible cause of a low functioning thyroid is
a lack of the needed Iodine from your diet.
Are you avoiding Iodized salt by any chance?

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Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid

Posted by Trish [296.2857] on June 04, 2009 at 09:11:43:

In Reply to: Re: To AT and anyone taking Armour Thyroid posted by Ron [5412.7650] on June 04, 2009 at 01:34:18:

Funny you ask that. Since I eat about 70-80% whole food, I normally don't put salt on (or for that matter, prepare my food with) salt. It's not a conscious thing, I just hardly use it. Should I really be pouring more of it on? By the way, my blood pressure always measures normal/low, so it's not like I'd be causing trouble there if I added it in.

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